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<title>Deleted Scenes from X of Swords: Hellions 5; New Mutants 13 by NotQuiteHydePark</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27119590">Deleted Scenes from X of Swords: Hellions 5; New Mutants 13</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotQuiteHydePark/pseuds/NotQuiteHydePark'>NotQuiteHydePark</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>New Mutants (Comics), New X-Men: Academy X, X-Men (Comicverse)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Banter, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Meta, Multi, Other, Parody, Resurrection, Swordfighting, Swords</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:15:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,657</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27119590</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotQuiteHydePark/pseuds/NotQuiteHydePark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“If you’re in charge of the better way,” Kate mumbles, “maybe I’d rather just have my sword lesbian girlfriend stab everybody."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Douglas Ramsey/Warlock (New Mutants), Kitty Pryde/Illyana Rasputin, Kitty Pryde/Rachel Summers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Deleted Scenes from X of Swords: Hellions 5; New Mutants 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tempus and Hope and Elixir sit close together on a rock outside the hatchery. Lava bubbles in the background. Right at the edge of the panel we see that these three members of the Five are holding hands.</p><p>“Are we done for the day?” Tempus asks, tired but satisfied, pushing her black-and-white bangs off her face.</p><p>“Almost,” says Elixir, frowning. “Last one on today’s resurrection list is unfortunately Manuel de la Rocha.”</p><p>“It’s not like I don’t trust the Council,” says Tempus, “but there are however many Morrisons—sorry, millions-- worth of mutants who died in Genosha, through no fault of their own, and we’re giving up lunchtime—”</p><p>“And possibly losing our lunch,” says Hope; the other two nod.</p><p>“Giving up lunchtime,” Tempus continues, “to bring back the biggest asshole that most of us ever met? who literally nobody has ever wanted on their team? who Greycrow killed again, like, last week?”</p><p>“If I ever did want him on my team,” says Josh sadly, “you’d all suspect that I was being mind controlled.”</p><p>“He could be tactically useful in Otherworld,” Hope comments wanly.</p><p>“So could a bag of dicks,” Tempus says. “Let’s not do it.”</p><p>“If we do it,” Hope sighs, “and I think we have to do it, let’s just skip the ritual. Bring back Manuel de la Repeated Patterns of Hostile Workplace Environment if we must, but let him find his own way out of the hatchery.”</p><p>“Why do we have to do it?” Josh asks, his skin shining gold through the leaves.</p><p>“Editorially mandated crossover event,” Hope says. She knows all about those.</p><p>“Please tell me there are no Avengers this time.” Josh frowns.</p><p>“Nope. Just that bag of dicks in that egg over there.”</p><p>“OK, fine. Let’s get to work. Anybody seen Goldballs?”</p><p>“His codename is Egg now.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Really.”</p><p>*</p><p>Eight members of the Quiet Council sit around the deliberation table. We can see other seats unfilled. Emma sits between the newly resurrected Kate and a man in formalwear who does not speak but appears to be Sebastian Shaw. Kate keeps both hands in her awesome red pirate coat’s pockets.</p><p>After several panels of wordy deliberation, in which Mister Sinister bestows upon the Council his very best Claremontian attempts to give an Excedrin headache to the letterer, the Council is still deliberating whether and how to participate in the Contest of [strikethrough] Champions [/strikethrough] Swords.</p><p>“I won’t support a plan that sends more mutants to Otherworld,” Xavier says, leaning forward. “Not while they can’t be safely resurrected.”</p><p>“I agree,” agrees Magneto. “But the Council still rules.”</p><p>“Adam X the X-Treme rules!” says Adam X the X-Treme, riding through on his skateboard.</p><p>“No one asked you,” says Magneto as he whizzes past.</p><p>“My girlfriend, the best sword lesbian ever, rules at swordfighting,” Kate points out mildly, “but I still think we should do something. Remember, stabbing tournament? No resurrection? People dying a lot? Aren’t we supposed to find a better way?”</p><p>“Compassion and reason win,” pronounces Mister Sinister. “We may yet end this nightmare before the slaughter comes.”</p><p>“If you’re in charge of the better way,” Kate mumbles, “maybe I’d rather just have my sword lesbian girlfriend stab everybody. Fewer feathers, less drama, and we know she’ll win in a fight.” Only Emma Frost hears her.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p>Illyana’s been meditating before the sunrise when her cell phone goes off. One of the frustrating things about being a mutant who has finally learned to face her history of trauma and practice self care is that she can do all the mindfulness practice she wants and take all the holidays she can stand but she still can’t turn off her damn cell phone. Someone might need her, and only her, at any hour.</p><p>We realize after the page turn that her phone didn’t just go off; she chose to make a call. To space. </p><p>Scott and Illyana address each other as Captain and readers who have been waiting for decades to see Scott and Illyana speak together as equals—they’ve got a lot in common, to be honest—realize we’re gonna love the comic almost no matter what else happens this issue, even if we don’t see five pages of Illyana swordfighting (and we will).</p><p>Cable explains to Illyana that his special sword isn’t an artifact of Marvel Japan and Western orientalism like the 93 swords (so far) that Logan has found in Japan; it’s an artifact of Marvel’s long-defunct contract with a toy company. “It’s called the light of Galador, Illyana. It’s from space.”</p><p>“It’s from Hasbro,” Illyana says. “And that’s fine. Not quite the Micronauts, but we’ll take it. No one cares what you call it or where you got it…. just that we have to go to Otherworld and fight for Krakoa.”</p><p>“Do you get to do the swordfighting yourself?” asks Scott. “Because it says in my copy of The Art of War that if we’re going to decide everything through single combat swordfights we should send our best sword lesbian.”</p><p>“I feel the same way,” says Illyana. “But I don’t think we get to make the rules.”</p><p>“Why not?” Scott replies.</p><p>“Editorially mandated crossover event.”</p><p>“Please tell me there are no Avengers this time.”</p><p>“Probably not, but at this point I can’t say for sure.”</p><p>“So it’s that bad, is it?”</p><p>“Well, you know me… I’m up for it, but someone’s going to lose some sleep over this. No doubt.”</p><p>Now young Cable looks excited. “Gwen Stefani’s going to take part in the Contest of Swords?”</p><p>Illyana sighs. “You are such a Nineties kid, young Cable. No, Gwen Stefani is not involved. She’s not even a mutant. She would make a pretty good sword lesbian, though.”</p><p>After more banter, Illyana shuts off her phone.</p><p>*</p><p>Doug and Warlock sit together in the heavy red shade of the beautiful Krakoan overgrowth. The panels are lush, expressive and admiring, showing both characters at their visual best.</p><p>“I’m gonna die,” says Doug, staring at his best friend.</p><p>“Selffriend Doug dies on days ending in Y,” says Warlock. “Self has mourned selfsoulfriend multiple whole numbers of times and greeted selfsoulfriend’s return. Dougfriend, self is not afraid for self. But self senses Dougfriend worries.”</p><p>“It’s not just about the swords,” he says, head in hands, like a blond version of Rodin’s thinker. “Everyone else is out there shipping and being shipped before the tournament’s even begun. Everyone has their on-panel girlfriends and boyfriends and nonbinary pals and mine…. is…. You. </p><p>“Which I suppose we’re not keeping a secret anymore—not that we were doing a good job of hiding it. But this feels like there’s something deeper at play. Some Saturnyne strategy. I mean, why me? Why you?”</p><p>“This is fine, Selffriend,” says Warlock. His free hand briefly morphs into a circuit-board-covered, black-and-gold diorama of the famous cartoon with a dog amid the flames of a garbage fire announcing that this is fine.</p><p>“Dougfriend and Self will work together to prepare swordskills for Selfsword and Selffriend’s part in editorially mandated sword crossover event.”</p><p>“Are the Avengers involved?” Doug asks anxiously.</p><p>“So far as Self can determine,” Warlock says, briefly becoming Iron Man, then the Vision, then a robo-Thor with a robo-hammer, “no.”</p><p>“Good,” Doug sighs. “Also please don’t do that again.”</p><p>*</p><p>Mondo looks really distressed at having to become a channel for Krakoa. But Krakoa themself is in greater distress. “There must be a way to send another in your place,” says Mondo-as-Krakoa, red eyes flashing on Mondo’s mossy belly. “You are too important to the continuance of this relationship with mutantkind…”</p><p>“Dude,” says Doug. “I’m nervous about all this too, but I’m not sure I have a choice.”</p><p>“I can hide you,” says Krakoa-through-Mondo. “Put you into exile until all this is over.” The red eyes below Mondo’s own solid chartreuse eyes, which also glow, are for real creepy. We can see why Mondo doesn’t like becoming Vox Krakoa this way. “It won’t be pleasant, but you will be safe.”</p><p>“Safe like Moira?” Doug asks. “Or safe like Sabertooth?”</p><p>“How did you know where I put Moira?” Krakoa asks. “But yes, she’s safe.”</p><p>“I’m pretty good at reading people,” Doug shrugs. “And books. And islands. But Krakoa, I have to go. I can’t run. I can’t hide. I was chosen.”</p><p>Magnificent panels of a sad Krakoa-trunk, like the great baobab of Queens Park in Bridgetown, Barbados, follow. Readers realize both that the trope of a tree that holds up the nation and the world extends across cultures, from Yggdrasil to the West Indies, and that it would be pretty great to have some West Indian and Caribbean mutants.</p><p>“If I have to die in Krakoa, can we at least make more mutants of color?” Doug asks no one in particular.</p><p>We see the gnarled, massive trunk-face of Krakoa, patiently weeping. Mondo has fled the scene.</p><p>*</p><p>Kate and Illyana and Rachel Summers sit together in a bower not unlike the one Doug and Warlock had, though the trio see a bit more sunlight. Kate is likely giving Rachel a back rub.</p><p>“You’ve got a lot going on right now,” Rachel says. “You must be impatient for your other plots to start again after the editorially mandated crossover event.”</p><p>Kate nods, not sad, but definitely resigned. Illyana nods too.</p><p>“What would you like to see? What could help you right now?”</p><p>“Honestly?” Kate says, both her hands still in her pockets. “Things have been moving so fast. I just want the plot to stop for, like, five pages so I can watch my sword lesbian girlfriend swordfight. I’ve wanted few things more than to just watch my Illyana be awesome with a sword in a series of painted closeups and midrange fight scenes, emphasizing her cute bangs and her practical fencing skills as much as they do her physique. Rachel, would this plan be OK with you?”</p><p>Rachel nods. “Of course.”</p><p>Illyana grins. “Pretty sure that one can be arranged.”</p>
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